In Catholic Italy, ‘de-baptism’ is gaining popularity By Sara Badilini

By Alexia Patino 

Italy is a predominately Catholic country, but nowadays a lot of Italians that grew up following the church sacraments are deciding to get de-baptized. A lack of data makes it difficult to establish how common the phenomenon is, but some dioceses are keeping track. The Diocese of Brescia, east of Milan, said in its diocesan newspaper in August that 75 people asked to be de-baptized in 2021, as opposed 27 in 2020.The de-baptism is finalized once an applicant declares the intention to abandon the church and the decision is registered by the church authorities, normally the local bishop. It is said that people who get de-baptized are committing a crime. The article also establishes that for many people abandoning the church is a statement against their positions on LGBTQ rights, euthanasia and abortion.